


Failure

by Tiredstudent



Category: Original Work
Genre: Army, Battlefield, Betrayal, Dragons, F/M, Kings & Queens, War, medival times ( kinda )
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 04:27:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21630151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiredstudent/pseuds/Tiredstudent
Summary: She should have predicted it. She should have known better than to trust those cowardly snobs. Not that it matters now.All that matters now is her survival, and that of her companions.





	Failure

**Everyone** **held** **their** **breath** **, no one** **spoke** **, no one** **moved** **.**

 **The** **only** **sounds** **in** **that** **field** **were** **those** **of** **agitated** **horses** **,** **huffing** **and** **moving** **restlessely** **.**

 **Suddently** **a** **roar** **broke** **the silence,** **followed** **by the** **sound** **of the flapping of** **wings** **. ‘** **Only** **one dragon ? ‘** **Eremele** **mused** **, ‘** **Well** **it’s** **only** **the first battle, a** **third** **of** **our** **forces,** **against** **a** **third** **of** **theirs** **‘ .**

 **She** **could** **see** **some** **of** **her** **companions** **start to sweat, The** **king’s** **army** **out of** **fear** **, or** **perhaps** **regret,** **their** **commander,** **droping** **his** **arrogant** **facade** **for once and** **looking** **troubled** **. As for** **her** **own** **siblings,** **it** **was** **out of excitement,** **she** **could** **see** **the** **gleam** **in** **their** **eyes** **, and** **She** **knew** **them** **long** **enough** **to know** **what** **it** **meant** **.** **They** **crave** **this** **, not** **that** **she** **could** **blame** **them** **, as** **she** **too** **shares** **the** **same** **feeling.** **They** **belong** **on the** **battlefield** **. Always** **had** **,** **always** **will** **. “The Black** **army** **“** **they** **were** **called** **, as** **they** **all** **wore** **black,** **and** **left** **only** **death** **and** **ashes** **behind** **them** **.**

 **This** **would** **be** **the first** **war** **in** **decades** **, a real** **war** **,** **againt** **a** **skilled** **army** **, not** **against** **mercenaries** **or** **revolutionnary** **forces but** **against** **one of the** **mightiest** **nations in the world :** **Arkannia** **.** **Barbarians ,** **rumors** **say** **, cold-** **blood** **killers ,** **rapists** **,** **cannibals** **… . But** **she** **knew** **better** **than** **to** **believe** **in** **rumors** **. As** **her** **own** **army** **too** **had** **its** **share** **of false accusations.**

 **Emerging** **victorious** **wouldn’t** **be** **easy** **. Yes ,** **they** **could** **win** **, as** **they** **have** **quite** **the** **reputation** **themeselves** **. But** **it** **would** **be** **at a high** **price** **.** **Many** **of** **them** **would** **fall** **,** **numerous** **would** **be** **incapacitated** **for life and** **their** **forces** **would** **be** **heavily** **weakened** **after** **, an** **easy** **prey** **should** **any** **other** **enemy** **attack** **.**

 **But** **this** **wasn’t** **what** **bothered** **Eremele** **. It** **was** **thier** **reason** **for** **fighting** **. All for** **this** **bloodshed** **for** **what** **?**

 **Had** **their** **king** **kept** **his** **word** **,** **their** **princess** **would** **be** **married** **to the prince of** **Arkania** **,** **she** **would** **have** **become** **the** **queen** **, and** **peace** **would** **have** **settled** **between** **two** **great** **nations** **Arkania** **, and** **her** **home** **Poriere** **.**

 **But** **here** **they** **are,** **her** **brothers** **and** **sisters** **about to die because of a man that couldn’t** **keep** **his** **word** **, a man** **without** **honor** **,** **willing** **to let** **thousands** **die to** **cater** **to** **his** **selfish** **daughter’s** **whimes** **.**

 **Not** **that** **they** **could** **do** **anything** **about** **it** **. The Black** **army** **represents** **the official forces of house** **Hormus** **, the house** **ruling** **the** **north** **for** **their** **king** **, and the one** **charged** **with** **military** **forces and the** **defense** **of** **Poriere** **against** **any** **type of threat. Her grandfather, and those** **before** **him** **,** **swore** **allegiance** **to the royal** **family** **.**

 **At** **last** **, the silence** **was** **broken** **again** **,** **only** **this** **time by the** **sound** **of** **horns** **and drums.**

** It’s ** ** time to  ** ** fight ** ** . **

**It** **was** **a** **blur** **,** **it** **always** **was** **,** **her** **body** **moved** **on** **its** **own** **slaying** **all** **those** **who** **stood** **on** **her** **way** **, and all** **those** **who** **threatened** **her** **home,** **her** **friends** **. All** **she** **hears** **were** **screams** **of pain, and grunts, the** **sounds** **of** **steel** **and** **of** **arrows** **.**

 **She’s** **already** **injured** **, but** **she** **can** **still** **fight** **.** **She’s** **used** **to** **it** **. It** **would** **, for sure,** **join** **her** **collection of** **scars** **. The** **ones** **the ladies of the court** **moke** **her** **about. Not** **that** **it** **matter** **as** **she** **is** **proud** **of** **them** **, for** **they** **mean** **that** **she** **survived** **,** **that** **she’s** **strobger** **now.**

**She** **could** **smell** **the** **burning** **of** **flesh** **, a** **nd** **she** **knew** **that** **that** **dragon** **was** **still** **not** **taken** **care of .**

 **‘** **soon** **‘** **she** **thought** **as** **she** **took** **down the man** **fighting** **her** **. They knew what they would** **be** **facing** **beforehand** **, and** **they** **prepared** **well** **for** **it** **. All** **she** **could** **do** **now** **is** **trust** **her** **companions** **,** **they** **outnumbered** **the** **enemy** **, and** **she** **knew** **that** **they** **would** **manage. If not** **win** **,** **they** **would** **greatly** **weaken** **the** **opposing** **forces.**

 **Suddently** **,** **she** **could** **hear** **the** **sound** **of** **horses** **galloping** **.** **Panicking** **she** **looked** **at the front** **thinking** **the** **Arkan** **n** **ian’** **s** **forces** **brought** **backup,** **only** **to** **see** **the** **equally** **confused** **faces of the** **enemy** **, faces** **that** **soon** **turned** **smug** **and** **satisifed** **.** **She** **looked** **behind** **her** **.** **She** **couldn’t** **believe** **her** **eyes** **,** **their** **own** **ally** **, the** **king’s** **army** **,** **is** **retreating** **,** **leaving** **them** **behind** **to die,** **outnumbered** **and** **ungarded** **and betrayed.**

 **“ How** **dare** **they** **“** **she** **heard** **a** **friend** **of** **her** **say** **“** **We’re** **fighting** **the** **war** **they** **started** **!”**

 **Beside** **her** **,** **her** **soldiers** **looked** **panicked** **,** **lost** **and** **terrified** **.** **They** **lost** **the battle, and** **they** **knew** **it.**

 **At** **that** **moment,** **she** **knew** **she** **had** **to** **make** **a** **choice** **, and fast .**

 **should** **they** **keep** **fighting** **,** **knowing** **their** **fate, and die** **honorably** **.**

 **Or** **should** **they** **surrender** **hoping** **that** **the** **enemy** **would** **spare** **them** **, or** **perhaps** **capture them as hostages, to put pressure on their general, her own grandfather.**

 **‘No’** **she** **thought** **‘** **Grandfather** **,** **would** **never** **stand** **this** **betrayal’**

 **She** **took** **her** **horn** **from** **her** **belt and blew three times in it, signaling** **their** **surrender** **.**

 **One by one** **her** **men** **threw** **their** **weapons** **and** **raised** **their** **hands.**

 **The** **arkannian** **forces** **stopped** **their** **assault** **and** **moved** **instead** **to** **bind** **Eremele** **and** **her** **friends** **and to collecte their** **weapons** **.**

 **Once** **done** **with** **their** **job, the** **crowd** **parted** **to** **reveal** **a man, the commander** **surely** **,** **he** **moved** **with** **grace** **and confidence** **that** **lacked** **in** **his** **fellow** **solders** **.**

 **He** **swept** **his** **gaze** **through** **his** **prisoners** **, then** **asked** **for the commander to** **step** **forward** **.**

 **Eremele** **did** **,** **head** **held** **high, meeting the** **commander’s** **eyes** **,** **excpecting jeers** **and mocking. After all not many would respect a woman’s** **presence** **in the** **battlefield** **,** **much** **less** **recognize** **her** **as** **a** **leader.**

 **Astonishingly** **, none of** **that** **happened** **,** **he** **regarded** **her** **for a few moments,** **assessing** **her** **.**

 **“** **Introduce** **yourself** **.” He** **ordered** **.**

 **Eremele** **thought** **of** **lying** **,** **her** **position as the** **general’s** **grandaugher** **would** **give** **the** **enemy** **an** **advantage** **, but** **she** **decided** **against** **it** **out of respect for** **her** **enemy** **who** **accepted** **their** **surrender.**

 **“** **Eremele** **Hormus** **”** **she** **replied** **“ Second commander of the black** **army** **”** **She** **didn’t** **lower** **her** **gaze,** **she** **bravely** **looked** **right** **into** **his** **eyes** **,** **daring** **him** **to** **belittle** **her** **.**

 **After** **a few moments,** **he** **spoke** **,** **voice** **clear** **in the** **field** **.**

 **“** **My** **name** **is** **Elijare** **cassius** **of house** **Arkannius** **, crown prince of** **Arkannia** **and** **third** **commander of the** **Arkannian** **forces. I** **take** **you** **soldiers** **of house** **Hormus** **under** **my** **custody** **,** **until** **later** **decision** **. I** **expect** **that** **you** **would** **not** **bring** **any** **harm** **to** **my** **men** **during** **your time** **with** **us. As long as** **you** **obey** **us, and** **bring** **us no danger,** **you** **will** **be** **treated** **fairely** **, are** **these** **terms** **acceptable, commander ?”**

 **“ Yes”** **replied** **Eremele** **, ‘ Not** **that** **we** **have** **any** **choice** **‘,** **she** **added** **to** **herself** **.**

 **“ Good “ He** **replied** **then** **nodded** **to** **another** **man standing** **beside** **him** **“** **Send** **word** **to** **their** **general** **, tell** **him** **we’re** **willing** **to negociate”**

**She** **let** **herself** **and** **her** **men** **be** **led** **to the** **woods** **,** **noticing** **that** **the dragon** **wasn’t** **even** **seriously** **injured,** **roaring** **loud** **as if** **taunting** **them** **.**

 **‘** **We** **failed** **to** **even** **weaken** **the** **enemy** **’** **she** **derspaired** **.**

**. **

**. **

** ‘ I  ** ** failed ** **.’ **

**Author's Note:**

> Tbh , i don't know what i'm doing .  
> I just wanted to try to write something. Please give me your honest opinion, as i want to be a better writer.  
> Thanks for reading this :) .


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